I’m five feet ten inches tall
Average height for an American male
When standing in three feet of water
my head is well above water
When standing in six feet of water
I’m slightly in over my head, and
I can jump up and down, and
bring my head above water
When standing in twelve feet of water
I’m considerably in over my head
Short of floating to the surface
there’s no way to get my head above water
At the bottom of a deep glacier lake
I’m really in over my head
There’s no standing, even for a second
at this unfathomable depth
Clearly, there’s no trouble
understanding any of this
So, why can’t I figure out
when I am in over my head in life?
Why don’t I realize that
when I say yes to 5 work projects
due in the same week
that I am in over my head?
Why do I fail to grasp the insanity
of working twelve-hour days
five days a week, and
two four-hour days on weekends?
Thanks to GE former-CEO Jack Welch
there is a business concept called a stretch goal
which refers to performance expectations
exceeding resources available to reach them
Am I a victim of too many stretch goals?
Have I mistaken myself for a fish
with the ability to breathe underwater?
Gee, maybe I’m in over my head!
Poetic Alchemist 